Wafer-cutting machine.



No-892,428. PATBNTED JULY '7, 1908. H. 11. HUNGERFORD.

WAFER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1903.

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PATENTED JULY 190 H. HLHU NGBR FORDt WAFER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1903.

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H. H. HUNGBRFORD-.

WAFER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1903.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. HENRY II. HUNGERFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FI tANK M. PETEItS, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WAFER-CUTTING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be a known that 1, IIENRY H. time;

FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wafer-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification. Y

My invention relates to machines designed more particularly for use in bakeries and confectionery establishments and having as their principal function to cut from wafer sheets, rolled .dough, or other analogous sheeted material disks or blocks of predetermined size and shape, the machine of my invention belonging to that type wherein a series of vertically-reciprocating cutters are impressed upon and through the sheeted material to cut therefrom the material to be subsequently used in the desired shapes and sizes.

Many bakery products are now manufactured and sold which comprise wholly or in part a confection in the nature of a air of thin wafers having between them a 1i ing of chocolate or other flavored confectionery ingredient; and these confections are often designed in unique and artistic forms'to render the product to which they are applied attractive to the eye as well as to the taste. The most economical and practical mode of manufacture of such sweetmeats is to cut them out of sheets of previously formed material; but where such sheets possess the delicate, brittle and spongy texture of bakery wafers, the cutting of the articles therefrom presents some difficulties in securing a clean and smooth cutting and separation of the individual articles from the sheet; and my invention has for its primary object to produce a machine capable of successful operation to secure this result.

To this end, my invention resides in a ma chine of the character and for the purpose specified, possessing the peculiarities of structure andinode of manipulation substantially hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

A machine embodying my invention in an approved form is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where1n l' igure 1 is a front elevational view partly Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 22, 1903. Serial No. 170,401.

7 Patented July 7, 1908.

broken away and partly in verticalsection of the complete machine; Fig. 2 is a trans-,

verse vertical section through the" machine; Fig. 3 is a top plan view with certain of the uprights in horizontal section and other parts broken away to disclose underlying mechanism; and Figs. 4 and 5 are to and edge views of the sheeted matena delan signed to be operated upon by the particular form of machine disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates as an entirety the supporting base of the machine having the general form of a low plat.

form, on the up er surface of which are a plurality of am el ribs or fins l0 -designgg to support t e sheet of material as it is f forward to the action of the cutters. On.

either side of the rear end ofthe platform 10 are mounted a pair of openframework uprights 11, in the -u per ends of which is rota: tably mounted a s aft 12, on one overhang ing end of which latter is keyed an. operating arm or handle 13. The heel of-the arm or handle 13 has formed .integrally therewith a short arm 14 extending at approximately right angles thereto, while keyed on the opposite end of the shaft 12 is a short arm 15 aving the same form and lying parallel with the arm 14. I

The free ends of the short arms 14 and 15 I are forked, as shown in Fig. 1, and pivotally connected with the upper ends of a p'airfof' links 16, in and between the lower ends of which latter is pivotally mounted at its ends a horizontal cutter-bar 17.

This bar 17 is i mounted to rise and fall over a pair of guideposts 18 which engage holes formed therethrough near each end, said bar being pref;

erably provided with depending guide sleeves 19 below said holes to secureja more extended bearing of thebar'on' its guides.

Surrounding the posts 18 and sleeves 19 are coil-springs 20, the expanding force of which erting a bodily lifting action on said bar.

receive the u For instance, by the set-screws 22 shown in Fig. 2. The cutters 21 may be given any annular conformation, according to the de- 1116d conformation of the articles to be cut )ut thereby, the cutters herein shown being ulmond-shaped in cross-section,- but an imortant constructional feature thereof re- :ides in providing the lower cutting edge of be same with a series of pointed teeth or serations indicated at 21 23 designates asan entirety a horizontal tationary die member or matrix mounted on he back of the platform parallel with and hrectly. beneath the cutter-bar 1 7. This matrix has formed'therethrough aseries of penings 23 corresponding in dimensions, ontour and spacing with the cutters2l, and 1 advance of said series of openings, a coresp'onding series of'indentations23 correponding indimensions and form to the rear r blunt ends of the openings 23 Slidabl mounted on the osts 18 above ad para lel withthe eutterar 17 is a bar a, the outer ends of which are pivotally cared in the lower ends of a pair of links 25-, 'hich latter are pivoted at their upper ends the inner faces of the arms 15 above the ivotal connections of the arms 14 and 16 ierewith. The bar 2-1 is provided on its pper side with a pair of sleeves 26 surroundvg the posts 18 and constituting an elontted bearing for the bar thereon, while selred to and endent from its under surface 'e a series 0 ejectors in the form of plun- IS 27 corresponding in contour to the cutrs 21, and of a size and position relatively said cutters such as to internally telescope e latter when the ejectors and cutter-bars e caused to approach each other. Mounted on top of the posts 18 are a pair inwardly-extending horizontal bracketates 28, which at their inner ends are aperred to receive a pair of rods 2-9 vertically dable therethrough, which rods support at eir lower ends a cleaner-bar 30, this latter ng somewhat behind the cutters, but .proled with edgewiSe-extending horizontal gers so dis osed as to lie between ad- :ent cutters. lhe rods-29 are supported the brackets 28 by means ofcoil-sp'rings 31 rounding the upper ends of said rods and their opposite ends engaging the upper face of the brackets and the under sides of a heads 29 of the rods. Cotter-pins 32 188d through the rods below the brackettes 28.1imit the upward movement of the ls and'cleaner-bar under the action of the ings 31. I Extending along opposite sides of the ma- 1 23 and projecting slightly above the 91 thereof are a pair of guards 33 designed prevent the dro ping of fragments of the terial on the sid es of the base.

beneath the hollow platform 10.

spending to the lateral s acing of the cutters of themachine, this s eeted material has formed therein, in parallel rows, during the process of manufacture, almond-shaped figures C produced by surface elevations or swellings of the wafer-sheets or coverings and correspondingly shaped and thickened fill ings, the object being to make a confection having the general form and appearance of an almond, for which purpose it is, of course, necessary to separate out the figures C from the sheet. To do this by the machine herein described, a sheet of the material correspond ing to the width of the machine and having a plurality of rows of figures C therein is laid across and supported upon the ribs 10 of the platform, with the foremost row of figures seated in the openings 23. Thereu'pon the handle 13 is depressed from the elevated position shown in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2 to the full line 0 'sition shown in the latter figure. Throug the arms 14 and 15 and the link connections16 and 25, the cutters and ejectors are simultaneously depressed, thecutting edges 21 of the former piercing the sheeted material around the margins of the figures C and completely severing them from the sheet. When this cut ting action iscompleted, the toggle-arms 15 and 16 at one side of'the machine and the companion arms 14 and 16 at the other side have reached and slightly passed the straight line position, while the corresponding togglearms 15 and 25 at one side and 14 and 25 at the other are still approaching the straight line position, whereby the plungers or ejectors 27 are carried down through and below the lower cutting edges of the cutters, thereby ejecting the figures out from the sheeted material and permitting them to drop into any suitable or convenient receptacle disposed When the cutter-bar 17 has been depressed to a position in-which it engages the cleanerl)ar it. carries the latter with it against the actionof the springs 31; While, when the cutter-bar is subsequently raised the cleaner-bar will rise with it until the cotters 32 engage the brackets 28 after which the cutters will rise through and past the cleaner-fingers. In this manner a relative sliding movement is created between the cutters and interposed cleaner-fingers at each reciprocation of the former which thoroughly clears out any particles of the material operated upon that may tend to stick between and clog the cutters.

The office of the springs 20 is, of course, to re- .store the parts to elevated position after each cutting operation, forwhich pur ose it is necessary only to elevate the hand e 13 sufliciently to draw the toggle-arms back past their dead center, whereupon the expansive energy of the springs suflices for therest.

. The upward swing of the arm 13 and of the parts connected therewith and operated thereby may be limited by a bracket 34 projecting laterally from one of the uprights 1]. into the path of movement of the arm 14 and constituting a stop for the latter at its most elevated position.

The function of the series/)1 indentations 23 in the front margin of the matrix is to form seats for the blunt ends of the row of figuresnext to the row engaged by the cutters and thereby correctly position and firmly hold the latter prior to and during the cutting operation. As each row of figures is cut out and discharged, the sheet is advanced one row into the machine, and so on until the last row of figures in the sheet has been cut out and discharged.

While I have described my invention in connection with a cutter for wafer-sheets,

sheets of dough and the like, yet it is obvious-thatthe machine is capable of use in connection with other articles and materials than those herein mentioned and I do not,

therefore, limit the same to its use in connection with the particular articles and products hereinabove specified. When employed however, as a cutter for wafers and sheets of other similar brittle and spongy material, the peculiar character of the cutting ed es of the cutters as hereinabove described is ound to be particularly advantageous. I have found in practice that a plain sharp edge will not out such material smoothly and cleanly, but produces a ra ged edge more or less cracked and splintere 1nwardly of both of the margins created thereby. The ser rated or toothed edge herein shown and described, however, produces a sharp clean cut owing to the fact that each of the pointed teeth separately pierces the brittle surface of the material and subsequently exerts a shearing rather than a compressing cutting action thereon. This character of the cutters I thereforeregard as of prime impor- 'tance, especially in connectionwith a machine designed to operate on the brittle and fragile material specified. In the cutting of sheets of dough as in the manufacture of cookies, cakes, ginger-snaps, and like articles, a smooth edged cutter may, of course, be successfully emplo eds It is evident that t e detail structure and relative arrangement of the several parts and elements of the machine might be considerably varied without departingfrom the principle thereof or sacrificing the advantages attained thereby; and hence I do not limit myself to such detail features except to the extent indicated in specific claims.

, I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a stationarymatrix containing a row of openings in the surface thereof over which the material operated upon is cut and through which the excised portions are discharged, of a superposed cut tor-bar having a correspondingly positioned series of depending cutters, n'ieans for reciprocating said cutter-bar to carry said outters into and out of said openings, a springretracted cleaner-bar positioned between said main bar and matrix and. adapted to be struck and forced downwardly toward said matrix by said cutter-bar, and fingers carried by said cleaner-b ar extending between the cutters, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a stationary matrix containing a row of openings in the surface thereof over which the material operated upon is cut and through which the excised portions are discharged, of a superposed cutter-bar having a correspondingly positioned series of depending lateral cutters, means for spondingly positioned series of ejector plun-.

gers, means for reciprocating said plungers through said cutters and matrix openings, at spring-retracted cleaner-bar positioned between said cutter-bar and matrix and adapted to be struck and forced downwardly toward said matrix by said cutter-bar, and fingers carried by said cleaner-bar extending between the cutters, substantially asde scribed.

' 3. In a machine adapted to cut wafers and other sheeted material of brittle texture, the combination with a matrix on which the sheet is supported, of one or more cutters reciprocable toward and from said matrix, said cutters having their cutting edges formed by continuous rows of sharp pointed teeth, adapted to simultaneously pierce and cutthematerial, substantially as set forth.

4. In a machine adapted to cut wafers and other sheeted material of brittle texture,

the combination with a matrix ccmtaining openings in the surface thereof on and above which the sheetis supported, of a series of annular cutters reciprocable into and out of said openings, said cutters having their cutting edges formed by continuous rows of sharp pointed teeth adapted to simultaneously pierce and cut the material, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a machine adapted to cut out raised figures from a plain sheet of material in I bination with. a series of cutters conforming I series of iridentations ecilstitutin seats for the next row of figures to be su sequently 10 in cross-section to the outline of said figures, 2 operated. upon by the cutters, substantially of a-matriX toward and from which said cut-' as=described.

which said figures are incorporated, the comtcrs are reciprOca-ted, said matrix having HENRY H. HUNGERFORDQ in the surface thereof a series of openings to Witnesses; 1 receive a row of the raised figures to be out ALBERT 1-1. GRAVES,

from the sheet, and. in 'adva-nee thereof 8t] FREDERICK C. GOODW1N.. 

